“I believe that was Nixon’s original take on it [to blame it on the democrats]. But he got whipped up into a snit about their release (by Kissinger I think), and that started the whole Plumbers vs. Daniel Ellsburg business.”
I would be interested if you have anything more about that by Kissinger. I could see that. I always thought that Nixon was thinking about the greater good of the country. Of course I may be naive too! But I don’t think so.
He did not want the Pentagon Papers released as it showed poorly on our leadership, military and our country.
In the Watergate tapes he talks about not being worried about the third-rate break-in. But then says something like “it could bring up the whole Cuban thing.” Then a few minutes later is the 7.5 minute gap.
I always thought that Cuban thing was in reference to Kennedy’s failed Bay of Pigs operation. Two(?) of the plumbers were Cubans involved in that. [I think later on it was Halderman that wrote that was his impression as well]. (So the Pentagon Papers protected Johnson, Watergate protected Kennedy - but they both were an effort to protect America.
And Nixon also wanted to fight his impeachment, but then realized it would be best for America to resign instead.
Maybe I need to put away my rose-colored glasses! But in the few books that I’ve read by Nixon after he was president, they all seem to talk about America as a whole - and not a bunch of political party type angles to things.
Of course the tapes show that Nixon was very much a political animal as well.
Not at all! Nixon was dealt a hard hand upon entering office in 1969, and he handled it well IMO.
Re Kissinger inciting Nixon on the Pentagon Papers -- A.J. Langguth, former Saigon bureau chief for the NY Times, discusses it in his book "Our Vietnam: The War 1954-1975." pp 587 onward:
"Kissinger knew that Nixon considered his young aides avid leakers of questionable loyalty. ... [Kissinger] must prove his fealty by becoming even more implacable than his president. At the 7:30 a.m. staff meeting on Monday [following Sunday NY Times first publication of excerpts from the Pentagon Papers], Haldeman, Ehrlichmann and the others watched a volcanic performance as Kissinger shouted, waved his arms, pounded his fist and cried for vengeance.
"'No foreign country will ever trust us again,' he declaimed. 'We might just as well turn it all over to the Soviets and get it over with.'
"Kissinger took his fury to the Oval Office and prodded Nixon by pushing a reliable button. If he did nothing, Kissinger warned him, 'it shows that you're weak, Mr. President.' ... By the time the rant had ended, Nixon was boiling."
I like Langguth's book.